EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the standard for exchanging structured business documents — purchase orders, invoices, advance shipping notices, payment remittances — between organizations. EDI predates the web (originating in the 1970s) and remains the dominant pattern for high-volume B2B transactions, particularly in retail, automotive, healthcare, and logistics.
For customer portals serving B2B audiences, EDI and portal-based ordering often coexist: large customers transact via EDI, smaller customers use the portal. Platforms like Coupa, SPS Commerce, Logicbroker, and OroCommerce handle both through unified back-ends.